In the realm of the Enneagram I have the  personality Type 2.  What that means, and this has borne out to be true for me, I am at the entrance to the wide open door of my heart willing to bring you deep inside into the safety that is there.  If you invite me into your heart I will follow with delicate shoes treading lightly in the spaces most tender to you.  This is not to say I have been open to everyone and have chosen not to go into places that did not feel comfortable.  I have been selective, careful and cautious at times.  When I do invite you in or choose to go into your heart I go in deeply with a candle in tow ready to shed light on the hidden treasures lying in the dark.

I am a connector, someone who lives in contact and connection with those around me.   My heart has always been wide open and I have felt deeply what is going on around and within me.  Life has been profound for me.  Very little is casual.  I have always been attuned to the feelings and needs of others, often at an expense to them and myself, and have needed a certain kind of contact with others to sense my own being.  While that may not be the healthiest way to exist it is how I sense my own aliveness and purpose.

My work through the years has been to support others in somatic, emotional and psychological ways. Through all of that work I have come to realize my greatest gift and love is in accompanying others on their paths to growth.  There are therapists, coaches, healers, teachers, guides, etc who do the kinds of work I do yet none of those titles adequately describe what I value most.  What resonates and feels absolutely right is the idea of accompaniment.   Being truly with others is a gift I value more than any kind of doing I have ever done.  Assisting others on their journey is where and how I know I am living with purpose and meaning and fulfilling a sacred opportunity in this gift of being human.

Through being with others in moments of authentic awakening and awareness my soul comes to know itself more deeply and authentically.  While I cannot control or create those moments, I have had the privilege to witness and hold with tenderness others’ willingness to open and allow something new to enter into their awareness. Those moments are rare and extremely beautiful and when they occur we find refuge in knowing we are not alone in our vulnerability.

Being with others as they discover something new for themselves is sacred work.   Sharing moments of openness and honesty  requires enormous courage and a willingness to be vulnerable to what is real without filter and ego.  That kind of work asks almost everything of us and is one of the greatest gifts of being in relationship with another.  Those moments of real contact, in and of themselves are how we grow and become more of who we truly are.

This crazy, often painful world works very hard to keep us away from what is most real and most sacred.  The beauty of the human heart and the sanctity of sharing that with another is an act of courage and how we build our strength and compassion.  Just imagine how different this world would be if more of us allowed that honest vulnerability to be present in our work and living.